Shout out

I have to give a shout out to my friend Jessica, for thinking of me when she was given some medium size gdiapers.  She decided they were not for her but offered them to me to try, it turned out I was already using the gdiaper system but was desperately in need of the medium ones.  It was a true blessing when she called, she gave me several gpants, liners, and the flush able inserts.  I just wanted to remind everyone that passing along an unwanted item can really make someones day.  Remember if you are interested in cloth diapering but do not have the funds, you can always visit diaperswappers, facebook gdiaper pages, and other groups on baby center and mom central and even ebay to search for used items.

Thanks again Jessica you really made not just my day but my month and they are really appreciated and in heavy use. 

Jayde

And So it begins

School officially started for us on August the 12 and it was super crazy the first few days.  The kids are now going on the 2nd full week of school and I think we all have the hang our routine.   This year we have a kindergartner, preschooler, and one in high school.  My teen dd also has tennis practice Monday-Thursday.  Everyone comes home hungry so this for the next 30 days I will be working on my after school snack list. 

Right now my goal is to be able to make a healthy snack and I have been looking everywhere for ideas.  I have a few recipes that I have been working on and so far so good.  I am looking for any suggestions of easy, quick, healthy, homemade snacks.  If you have any please leave me a comment and I will get back to you on if it passed the kid test.  This last week I made Pretzel Monkey Bread from Amazing Moms, it was a big hit with my girls.  We took it a step further and omitted some of the salt and in turn the girls dipped their bread in cinnamon sugar.  I love the fact that they have several recipes for monkey bread and I look forward to trying a few more.  This week I am hoping to work on a bento box inspired snack, fruit platter, a few baked goods and even some cookies just for fun.

Looking forward to a wonderful school year and looking forward to some amazing after school snacks.

How Old Is He?

Our son was born 2 months premature, he is considered to be a newborn right now.  He was born over two months ago but on a chart he is only a little over two weeks old.  When someone ask me how old he is I stumble to remember his adjusted age and feel like I should explain my fumble by stating he was a preemie.  I have read the articles and know that his adjusted age is how he is currently developing, but he had actually been on the earth for almost 3 months.  I know that at some point he will catch up and we wont have to give his adjusted age anymore but for right that is the best way to go.  I will get better at it with time and once I am truly use to it, I wont have to utilize it anymore.  So yes my son was born in May, but he is only 2 weeks old. 

Side note, his father want to celebrate his birthday every year on his due date not the date he was born.  We are currently still in the middle of that argument (discussion) and hopefully by next year we will be at some sort of compromise or I will have won.

What is Normal?

L2 is our odd child, she has been since the day she was born.  The moment she came into the world I knew she was different and she would play by her own rules.  She is a loving child and a smart child, but I have been worried that something was off with her and so I decided to ask for help.  She had a physical for preschool and after talking to the doctor she was given an appointment with the behavioral specialist.  I want to be able to find out if I am just over reacting or if she is really in need of extra help.  I have vowed to not paint her into a corner or try to define her, I just want to be able to handle it when she has her famous meltdowns and when she goes off on one of her moments.  The doctor said they will work with her twice a week and also help myself and my husband handle her issues so that she is not overwhelmed.  I will let her got to preschool without putting any stigma on her and if issues arise then we will discuss them with the specialist.  This is new territory for me and I hope that I can navigate it with grace and patience.  I look forward to learning about my daughter and learning how to become a better parent for her.  Is there a normal, nope, not really and if there is its definitely not any person in this house.

Jayde

Back to the Grind

In exactly one week my life will turn from late mornings and late nights to early mornings and late nights.  School is creeping upon us and as a parent I am not looking forward to it.  A lot of my friends will be enjoying the quiet and calm that comes with school, that sadly will not be the case at our house.  This year I have 4 kids in school; the one in college still counts.  Not sure what the preschool schedule will be but it will conflict with the kindergarten schedule no matter what.  High school schedule is set in stone and so is the tennis practice and games that I will be missing once again because of my duties as a mommy to little ones.  I walk the girls to school so these will be awesome exercise for me, which means I can drop the 25 pre-baby pounds that I have been battling with for years.  I of course can only think of the horror of shopping for clothes, shopping for supplies, the physicals (2 down 1 to go), the need to get on some kind of schedule to help stabilize my day (fat chance with a newborn). 

At home with me this year will be L3(2) and L4(newborn), which means nothing will be accomplished unless both are sleep.  I plan to continue to participate in the playgroup this year as soon as it starts up, which means 2 days a week my schedule will be even more insane.  I look forward to returning to the group and allowing myself some time to unwind and interact with adults for about an hour. 

Don't get me wrong I love the fact that they are going to school, but I can see the PTA meetings, the parents nights, the parties, the pictures, the yearbooks, the gym clothes and I panic.  I look forward to my daughters first day of preschool and kindergarten and hope that they have a wonderful year.  As the summer winds down, I look forward to art projects and homework know that these are rights of passages that all kids should enjoy.  So as we mark another day off the calendar I say to all the moms with crazy schedules about to impact their lives.  "Buckle your seat belts its going to be a bumpy ride"

Back and Forth

Here we are again on the same drama as always, should I go back to work?  I have been having a crisis for about a week now, I received a call for the Sheriff's office about a job I applied for over a year ago.  They want to do a background check on me and hopefully offer me a position as a dispatcher.

 Problem is that I am not sure I want the job right now.  I just had Logan a few months ago and him being premature its still like he is a new born.  We currently only have one car and although my DH and I would work in the same town its doubtful it would be the same shift.  Public transportation her is horrible and I would  have to leave super early and still get a ride home no matter what shift I have.  My kids would need a babysitter who can get them to school everyday and who could handle my 2year old  and newborn at home all day.  My one daughter only has school half a day and so they would have to pick her up in the middle of the day and then go back for the second child.  My teen dd will be playing tennis again this year which means loads of practice and she really wont be able to help much at the house.  My son will be away at college so he wont be able to help at all.  My DH is not great with the girls on his own, but he swearers that he would be able to watch them once he got off work and would be able to help around the house.

 I think its all just to confusing to deal with right now and I just want to lock myself in a closet.  I know that we need the money and I know that jobs are hard to come by, but honestly I feel like I would better serve my family at home.  Our house is a nut house already and dealing with chores on a daily basis is difficult when I am home all day.  Laundry, cleaning, cooking and the kids is a full time job and I just now got to where I can handle them all and not go crazy, adding an 8 hour shift would almost kill me.  I know that if I accept this job the amount of work for me will double at home and my husband will really not be much help because he is not much help now.  Also while at my job interview my DH was offered a chance to work a second job, something we had recently discussed him looking for.  He and I had just decided that I would be a SAHM and he would work two jobs until we paid off some of our big bills.  He has decided to try for the second job just in case I don't get the job and even if I do he will keep it.  This means longer hours for our babysitter.

I also have school and would have to find a way to fit all that in also.  The biggest issue is breastfeeding and cloth diapering would have to stop because no one else will use the cloth diapers but me and my dd and I would not be able to pump every 2 hours while at work so my milk would eventually become less.  I have a laundry list of reasons why not to take the job and only a few reasons to take the job.  I would love to get out of the house daily, I would love to help out my family financially and I would love to be able to purchase a vehicle for the family.  Its just so difficult, but I guess in the end its not up to me.  I will be handing in my background paper work Monday and it will take several weeks my papers to come in so I guess until then I just wait to see if I am going to be working this winter or if I will still be a stay at home mom.

Wow, this was a really long vent and I am glad that I have a place to get it out instead of just looking crazy or crying uncontrollable like I have been doing for the past few days.  Life is never easy and always has so many decisions that if you make the wrong choice you think about for ever.  I don't want to make the wrong choice and hurt my family and that is why I am so conflicted, either way I choose its going to impact everyone and in different ways.

Sticky and Sweet

This evenings treat was good old fashion smores.  And let me tell you when 3 little girls hear that you are making them a dessert with chocolate, marshmallow, and graham crackers they get a little excited.  I let each girl build their own, everything but roasting the mellow. It turns out that 2 out of 3 enjoyed the entire treat but one did not care for the taste of roasted marshmallows.  The only complaint I have is the clean up of sticky little fingers and faces.  My older kids quickly joined into the fun and now a full bag of marshmallows and 3 large candy bars later we are all satisfied with our treats and have decided the once a month should be our official smores night.  We love them any time of the year not special occasion needed, just because is always a good reason.

After such a sweet night, I am really looking forward to tomorrow and the baked potato bar for lunch that my 15 year old and I doing.  I can just taste the bacon, cheese and sour cream.

I am entering a contest for a S’mores prize pack as a member of the Mom Bloggers Club.






Jayde